USFCR Blog

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in October 2019 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

“I felt exactly how you would feel if you were getting ready to launch and knew you were sitting on top of 2 million parts – all built by the lowest bidder on a government contract.”

This apocryphal quote comes from the early days of NASA. Some attribute it to Alan Sheppard. Others claim it was John Glenn.

Either way, no one can agree on who said it or the exact phrasing. What did happen, though, was the perpetuation of a government contracting myth: it always comes down to the lowest bidder.

Market research is crucial for success in government contracting. After all, you should know who is buying what so you can find your target customers. If you're considering contracting with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), here's a list of the top 10 industries for HHS contracts from the previous fiscal year.

The information used to write this blog post was extracted from the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). This list comprises the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes associated with each top industry.

Let's start the countdown. 

The GSA has announced that FedBizOpps.gov (FBO.gov) will begin decommissioning, and its functionality will transition into beta.SAM.gov starting November 8, 2019.

beta.sam.gov (FBO.gov) officially merged with sam.gov on May 24th, 2021. Every business, nonprofit, and government entity looking to secure federal contracts or grants must be registered in this system. If you need assistance with your SAM registration, speak to a contracting specialist at (866) 216-5343 or get started with your registration now.

beta.sam.gov officially merged with sam.gov on May 24th, 2021. Every business, nonprofit, and government entity looking to secure federal contracts or grants must be registered in this system. If you require assistance with your SAM registration, you can speak to a contracting specialist at: (866) 216-5343 or get started with your registration now.

If you've been keeping up with news in the federal marketplace, then you should know that FedBizOpps (aka FBO) is expected to be decommissioned in the first quarter of FY 2020 (the fourth quarter of 2019). Instead of a separate opportunity search website, it will be merged with beta.SAM.

If you can make your company known to a contracting officer before bidding, you will improve your chances of winning government contracts. Reaching out to them through email is an effective way to accomplish this. Get more responses to your B2G emails with the tips in this video.

Recently Todd Marchant Construction Co. dba RockNErosion won its first two federal contracts. Although businesses take an average of 12-18 months to win their first award, RockNErosion completed this feat in just half the time. For Todd Marchant, however, searching, bidding, and performing federal contracts isn’t just something that he does for an income. Todd has found genuine enjoyment and passion in this type of work.

In federal contracting, having a great past performance record can open up a wide range of opportunities down the road. After all, the U.S. federal government wants to build relationships with quality businesses that they can rely on.

Although Metropolitan Logistics, LLC dba Metro Managed Services has recently won its first two contracts, they are no strangers to working with Uncle Sam. Their repeated success in federal contracting demonstrates how a business can scale this sector by establishing a solid reputation.

It’s no secret that a lot of America’s manufacturing has gone overseas. This couldn’t be more exemplified than with the textile industry’s move toward countries such as China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and India. This massive shift has left many factories across the U.S. closed.

Pacific Continental Textiles, Inc. isn’t one of them. In fact, they’ve been manufacturing apparel and textiles for the commercial sector for 37 years. Now, with a recent contract from the Defense Logistics Agency, they’ve just added the federal government as their newest customer.

In the federal marketplace, there are loads of opportunities across every industry imaginable. You don’t know what you’ll find or what you will even be working on. That’s because there are plenty of businesses that will jump on opportunities that are outside of their own industries. This may sound impractical or even impossible from an outside perspective, but it’s more common than one would think.

One recent example of a business finding success in the federal marketplace by reaching out of its normal spectrum of work is Near Me, L.L.C.

Federal contracting is a highly competitive sector. Getting your foot in the door is a whole feat of its own. However, a true indicator of a contractor’s prowess and quality of work is when Uncle Sam chooses to build a working relationship with their business. Such is the case with RTG Building Services Inc. (which has held previous contracts under LP Custodial) winning their rebid on a janitorial contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After a 10-year contract, the Army has once again solidified its trust in RTG Building Services Inc. with this recent award.